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Retired soccer player comes out, wins praise

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2009 file picture Germany's Thomas Hitzlsperger waits prior the World Cup Group 4 qualifying soccer match between Germany and Finland in Hamburg, northern Germany. Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger announced he is gay on Wednesday Jan. 8, 2014, becoming likely the most prominent footballer yet to break a long-standing taboo within the sport. Hitzlsperger says in an interview given to Die Zeit newspaper, "I am expressing my sexuality because I want to promote the discussion of homosexuality among professional athletes." The 31-year-old says he felt now was the right time, four months after retirement following a career in England, Italy and Germany, to approach a subject he feels is "simply ignored." (AP Photo/Joerg Sarbach,file)

Associated Press

BERLIN — Encouraged by others who have come out as gay, retired soccer player Thomas Hitzlsperger is hoping going public will help make it easier for other sporting stars to do the same.

Homosexuality is seen as a major taboo in some sports, while not so much in others. Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, both openly gay, are two of the greatest tennis players in history. But big-time professional soccer, and the four major sports in the United States, are quite a different story — at least for now.

“[There is] a long way to go because we fear a reaction and we don’t know what will happen. I can’t imagine playing football and doing this at the same time,” Hitzlsperger said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Thursday.

Hitzlsperger, no longer active but still regarded as the biggest name in soccer to say he is gay, spent years playing professionally in England, Germany and Italy. He also represented Germany at the 2006 World Cup.

His decision to go public was hailed overwhelmingly as a positive step in the German media as well as in England, reflecting the way attitudes have changed.

British tabloid The Sun labeled him a “Winner” in a side-by-side cover photo with Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, who was called the “Loser” for wearing an outfit resembling a suicide bomber for a costume party.

In Germany, Hitzlsperger has been commended for his courage. The country’s mass circulation daily Bild led with “Respect!” on its front page, a day after Hitzlsperger made his announcement in an interview with German newspaper Die Zeit.

“Hopefully, by talking about it, it encourages some others, because they see they can still be professional football players, they can play at the highest level, and be gay,” Hitzlsperger said in a video on his website. “It’s not a contradiction, as I’ve proved.”

Using anti-gay slurs and jokes on the sports field has been widely accepted as part of playing hard for years, so much so that in 1999 former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler made lewd anti-gay gestures during a game toward Graeme Le Saux, who was playing for Chelsea. Le Saux, who is straight, was labeled a homosexual by many simply because he used to read the left-leaning Guardian newspaper.

On Thursday, in the wake of Hitzlsperger’s announcement, Fowler took to Twitter to express regret and apologize for his actions of nearly 15 years ago.

“Getting a bit of stick for something that happened when I was a kid, naive and immature … I’ve apologised to (at)graemelesaux14, he accepted,” wrote Fowler, who has retired from soccer and become a television commentator. “Obviously embarrassed looking back, but sadly cannot change what happened, you learn from mistakes growing up, and that I have.”